History of York

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York Railway Station

York Station Platform 3 - 2008

York Station Platform 3 - 2008

A stereoscopic view of the station taken in the 1900s (c) CYC - Imagine York

Bomb damage in 1942 (c) NRM

At 5.30am on June 25, 1877, the first train left the new York Railway Station, bound for Scarborough across the specially altered railway bridge. The station took 3 years to construct and was the largest in Britain, confirming the city’s status at the heart of the network.

It was designed by the North Eastern Railway’s architect Thomas Prosser. The 800ft-long train-shed roof, held 42ft above the platforms by iron columns, was widely admired. The whole station is built on a curve, making the architecture all the more impressive. It was called 'a monument to extravagence'.